


In the Eye of the Beholder

by All_My_Fandoms_Are_Killing_Me



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Beta Read, Blind Character, Blindness, Gen, Magic, dream is blind, its my fantasy au i get to decide the rules, ive got so much lore you dont even know, ooh hoo hoo just you wait, there will be no ableism in this house, this bad boy can fit so much lore in it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Fandoms_Are_Killing_Me/pseuds/All_My_Fandoms_Are_Killing_Me
Summary: "Dream had a secret. A secret that was well kept. A secret that could topple his very kingdom if it got out.Dream was blind."When the prince of Surmup receives news of a force threatening the southern borders of his land, he embarks on a quest to put a stop to it.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 155





	1. In the beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fic in a long time let's gooooo. 
> 
> Also Surmup is the Dream SMP it stands for SURvival MUlti Player. 
> 
> Thank you to Aenqa for being my awesome beta reader.

Dream had a secret. A secret that was well kept. A secret that could topple his very kingdom if it got out.

Dream was blind.

He wasn't always blind. In fact, most of his life he _could_ see. 

He could see all the beauties and wonders of the world. All the flora, fauna, and colours. Deer, horses, trees, red, blue, green.

He could see his friends and family and everything else he loved.

For the first twelve years of his life, Dream could see everything. Until he couldn’t.

His vision had been slowly deteriorating over the course of six years. It had started off with simple nearsightedness. He even wore contact lenses for a time. But then it got worse. Soon he could barely see that which was right in front of him.

As his eyesight faded, so too did his spirit. He became colder, quieter, more calculated. He began isolating himself and relying more heavily on his hearing.

He was fifteen when he attended one of his usual meetings--though they seemed to get less and less frequent. He turned to his knight, George, only knowing it was him by the telltale blue blur of his clothes. George always wore blue; it was the only colour he could see right with his colorblindness. Dream frequently made fun of his friend’s affliction. Or he used to. Not as much anymore.

“I’d like to commission a mask,” Dream spoke.

Sapnap looked up at Dream, his head cocked in confusion. “A mask? Why?”

Dream turned his attention in the direction of Sapnap’s voice. His red headband was barely visible against the rest of his featureless face. “Call it a style choice.” He slid a book across the table, open to a random page somewhere in the middle. “I’ve already drafted a design.”

The book held a hand-drawn picture of a face. It was not a detailed face, quite the opposite actually. It was a white circle, slightly elliptical, with two eyes and a smile. The eyes were positioned just a bit too far apart and more than a bit too far down. The disproportionate face was eerily unsettling.

George looked at the sketch and back at Dream. “Is this for decoration or something?” he asked.

“It’s for wearing,” Dream said. 

“You won’t be able to see,” George observed.

“I’ll enchant it.”

George shrugged. “Alright then.” He grabs the book and tucks it away. “I’ll have the blacksmith get on it right away.”

Dream didn’t have the heart to tell his employees, his friends that the mask was never meant to be seen out of. It was okay though, much like he could no longer see their faces, filled with emotions he could no longer know, they wouldn’t be able to see his. It was better this way, he assured himself. Nobody would have to know.

Nobody would have to know.

  


By the time Dream was eighteen, he had gone completely blind. For months he could only distinguish between light and dark but now he couldn't even do that. Everything was just… Gone. 

He had long since forgotten what his friends looked like, not that they would look the same anymore anyway. The change in their voices took some getting used to but he caught on quickly. George had a deeper voice that flowed like water in a creek. Sapnap's was a bit higher, a bit warmer and more coarse; like the sun on a late spring's day.

He could even easily distinguish between his further friends. Although BadBoyHalo apparently had an eerie appearance, he had a high voice that sounded like the milk served with fresh baked cookies. Antfrost, the tabaxi, was lower than Bad but higher than Sapnap and felt like grass awakening after a long winter.

Dream had gotten used to using sound to sense his surroundings. He could differentiate footsteps, locations, even time of day just by listening to the world around him.

He had been wearing his mask every day for the past three years to hide his affliction. As far as he could tell, his friends were none the wiser.

They never brought up how he never quite looked directly at them, how he always seemed to know who was sneaking up on him, no matter how careful they were, how he could identify the location of prey on hunting trips long before it showed itself. If his friends weren’t going to say anything, Dream most certainly wouldn’t.

  


When Dream was twenty-one, his father summoned him into a meeting room. The room was devoid of all life other than Dream and his father. Nobody was allowed in the room when the two had their meetings. Other than Dream, the only people that knew about his eyes were his parents. Their meetings were one of the few times Dream could remove his mask. As such, the only person that had a glimpse at Dream’s true emotions was his father.

“Son,” Dream’s father started, “as you know, as Prince of Surmup, you have expectations and responsibilities.”

“Yes, father,” Dream responded. They had had this conversation many times before. Usually it was followed by Dream being scolded for something or another. This time seemed to be different though. His father’s voice was calmer, more gentle. It held hints of worry and concern. What did his father have to be concerned about?

“I’ve received news of a threat terrorizing our southern border.” Dream recalled his geography lessons. To the southern border of Surmup was the Antarctic Empire. Its leader, Philza, was a phoenix who had ruled its land from the day of its conception. His three sons were set to inherit the land, but a phoenix lives long and Phil was not ready to die. As such, the three princes were able to spend their time doing what they pleased, free from the responsibilities of ruling.

"Normally we would have some of our soldiers take care of it," Dream was broken out of his thoughts as his father continued, "but this issue needs to be dealt with with a certain level of diplomacy. The nature of the threat concerns both Surmup and the Antarctic Empire.”

“And what does that have to do with me?” Dream asked.

“Emperor Philza has specifically requested your aid in handling the issue.”

Philza requested _him_? _The_ Philza? Dream was skilled in battle, sure, but he was nothing compared to Philza the Undying. To say Dream was honoured would be an understatement.

“I am more than happy to send my son on this journey,” the king continued, “and I know you are more than capable, but I cannot in good conscience send you alone. That is why I have elected to send your most devoted knights to accompany you. George and Sapnap are currently being briefed in another room. When they are finished, they will be sent to take care of the necessary preparations for your departure in the morning. Likewise, when we are done, I will send you to do the same. Do you have any questions?”

Dream had a million questions, but none of them were relevant to his father. He would not let his face betray his confusion as he answered a simple, “No.”

“Good,” the king said. “You are dismissed.”

Dream left the meeting room with a thousand thoughts racing through his head.

  



	2. In the Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream embarks on his journey to the Antarctic Empire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Aenqa for being my lovely beta reader.

Dream's group traveled for a day and a half without incident. It would be another half day to reach the border where they had planned to meet Philza.

Dream was sat upon his horse, Spirit, listening to the sounds of the forest and the babbling of his friends, when a sudden noise caught his attention. 

"Hey! Be quiet for a second," he said.

"Don't tell me what to do, Dream," Sapnap retorted.

"Seriously. Just shut up for a second."

Sapnap crossed his arms with a frown as he stopped talking. Not a moment after, an arrow whizzed past his head and stuck in a tree behind him with a thunk.

"Sapnap!" Dream cried out, "George! Get down!" Dream jumped off his horse and drew his blade. He could hear his companions dismounting behind him as another arrow flew past.

Dream stood in a fighting stance as he honed his hearing on anything out of place. He could hear birds chirping, the wind rustling the trees, the horses tails flicking, and to his left, the sound of a crossbow being loaded.

He made a dash in the direction of the noise, dodging trees and branches through the sound of their blowing leaves. George followed after, just a few paces behind Dream as Sapnap stealthily snuck through the brush.

Dream sprinted through the forest until he came to a small clearing not too far from where they left their horses. Stood in the clearing was a man holding a loaded crossbow. It was aimed at Dream.

The unknown archer released the bolt just in time to be tackled by Dream. It grazed his shoulder but Dream paid it no mind as he pinned their assailant, the crossbow clattering a short distance away. He brought his sword to the attacker's neck and rested it against his Adam's apple.

"Who are you? Why are you shooting at us?" Dream demanded.

"We were hired to despoil anyone who comes through here. It's nothing personal, just business."

"Wait," George started, "We?"

As he spoke, a second attacker emerged from the brush and lunged for the knight. The man wielded an axe and swung it haphazardly in a desperate attempt to make contact.

George blocked the attacks with his own blade. He was a skilled swordsman and was holding his own quite well against the goon.

Dream turned his attention to the scuffle, listening for any signs that his friend may be losing. He didn't notice when the man pinned below him reached out and grabbed ahold of his crossbow. He didn't notice when the man aimed the weapon at George's head. He didn't notice when the archer pulled the trigger.

The sound of metal piercing metal rang out as a second crossbow bolt rammed into the first. Sapnap emerged from his hiding spot, wielding his own crossbow. He quickly reloaded it and aimed it at the axe-wielding assailant. "Stop or I'll shoot," he declared. The tip of his bolt glowed blue as enchanted fire danced upon it. Sapnap could feel the heat radiating from it but ignored it as he stared down George's combat partner.

The man hesitated for a moment and lowered his axe.

"Good," said Sapnap, "now drop it and we can talk about this like grown ups."

The attacker bent over in a show to gently set the axe down as Sapnap kept the crossbow trained on him. As he reached the ground, he made a swing for George's leg. George jumped out of the way as Sapnap released the bolt. The crossbow bolt embedded into the attacker's shoulder as the axe cut into George's ankle, not deep enough to cause lasting damage but still deep enough to be painful. He let out a hiss as he fell to the ground, holding his injury. 

Dream looked up just in time for the attacker's shirt to burst into flames. The man cried out in pain as he desperately tried to extinguish the flames. Dream stood from where he pinned the man with the crossbow and stepped on his chest to keep him down, keeping his sword pointed at the man's neck.

"George!" he called out. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine! Can we just deal with these guys?"

"Got it!" Dream responded as he pushed his sword into his hostage's neck, just deep enough to draw blood. "Now, I'm sure you gentlemen know that attacking a member of the royal family is treason, a crime punishable by death. I can be reasonable. We can make a deal. Either you give me all your stuff and we never see you again _or_ we kill you and take your things anyway. Your choice."

The flaming man shared a look with his accomplice and dropped his weapon. "You won't hurt us if we leave?"

Dream nodded. "That is correct. However, I want you to empty your pockets right here, right now. The only thing you may keep is the clothes on your back."

The man hastily began dumping his pockets. Out spilled gold, jewelry, miscellaneous weapons and other small assorted items. 

Dream helped his captive to his feet, keeping his sword trained on the other at all times. "You too," he prompted.

Similar items cascaded from the other man's many pockets. There was a small pile of loot on the forest floor when the two had finished.

Dream lowered his weapon. "Okay. You can leave. Now go before I change my mind." 

The two men made a mad dash into the forest, not daring to look back.

"I'll take care of George," Dream offered. "You can have the bolts for your crossbow if you want."

Metal rods clattered together as Sapnap gathered the man's bolts. He then collected all the valuables from the floor and put them in a pouch.

Dream fished bandages from his satchel along with a healing potion. Handing the potion to George, he began wrapping his friend's ankle.

George took a drink of the potion and felt the healing effect rush through him almost instantly. He set the bottle down with a refreshed sigh. "Thanks, Dream," he said.

Dream continued wrapping George's ankle without a word. When he was finished, he returned the remaining bandages to his satchel and helped George to his feet. Only after he was sure George could stand on his own did he say, "You're welcome, George."

"All done?" Sapnap asked.

"I think so," Dream replied. "You ready, George?"

"Whenever you are."

Dream nodded, "Lead the way then."

They returned to their trusted equines and mounted their respective horses. 

"By the way," Sapnap enquired, "why did you want their stuff? You have the entire kingdom's vault at home."

"Honestly?" Dream laughed, "I thought it would be funny."

Dream spurred his horse and they continued on the path to the Antarctic Empire.

* * *

They could tell they were close to their destination due to the rapidly dropping temperature. It wouldn't be long until they reached Philza.

They had stopped a short while ago to change into warmer clothes. Dream wore a thick dark green hooded cloak that wrapped around his entire body. It was trimmed with brown fur at the hood and along the edges. He had also put on a thicker blouse and pair of trousers. George was adorned in a capelet of pastel blues. He had multiple layers of clothes underneath with varying thicknesses and shades of blue. Sapnap wore the least, depending on only a mid-length cape made of red and white fur in addition to his usual clothing and armor.

As they made their way through the chilly Surmup forest, they could hear the echoes of a shouting child. 

"What do you suppose that is?" George pondered. 

"I don't know," Dream said, straining his ears in the direction of the sound, "want to go check it out?"

"Couldn't hurt," George shrugged as he steered his horse off the path. "It doesn't seem that far, we should be able to help and not lose too much time."

The trio and their horses wandered in the direction of the noise. As they got closer, the shouting got louder. Soon they could hear additional voices mixed in, though it seemed like the child was leading the conversation.

Dream tried to listen to the conversation but could not understand everything with all the overlapping voices.

"I...to bring…bo," the child with the high voice complained. Dream noted how the voice sounded like drawings made of crayon and chalk.

"...just a few days," said an older voice. It was more distinguished and sounded like chestnuts and fire and all things warm and safe.

"...dy got to come!" the child retorted.

"Fundy is family," a new voice chimed in. This one--a smooth tenor--reminded Dream of hot chocolate by the fireplace, topped with marshmallows, whipped cream, and cinnamon.

"Boys!" the second voice reprimanded. Everyone stopped talking as if they'd just noticed something they hadn't previously seen. "Sorry about them," he continued, "they can get pretty heated."

It was then that Dream realized this man was talking to him. "Oh! Uh, it's fine. Did you all need any help with something? It's a bit cold to be out here this late."

It was clear that this group could see Dream but he couldn't say the same about them. He decided to continue to be courteous to them despite not knowing who they are or what they were doing out in the cold.

"Wait! Dad, are these the guys you were going on about?" the whining child from earlier asked.

"That depends who's asking," Sapnap countered.

"Sapnap, please," Dream scolded, "not right now."

"Oh it's alright," the man cut in, "I'm Emperor Philza of the Antarctic Empire and these are my boys." He made a dramatic gesture to his own group before turning back to Dream's. "You must be Prince Dream of Surmup along with Sirs George and Sapnap."

Dream quickly dismounted his horse and performed a deep bow out of respect. "I'm so sorry, your Majesty. I didn't realize--"

Philza scoffed, cutting the prince off, "You don't need to be so formal. You can just call me Phil."

"Right. Okay. Phil," Dream stammered out.

"And these young men," Phil continued, "are my family." He gestured to a group of four, starting with the oldest, a half-pig wearing a deep red cloak lined with white fur as well as a golden crown. "You've met Technoblade."

It was true. Technoblade, or Techno as he preferred, had spent time training in Surmup Techno was the only person Dream had met whose combat skills rivaled his own. He was still looking forward to their eventual rematch.

"Hello," Techno waved, a man of few words. His voice was low, steady, and firm, like a boulder standing strong against the elements.

Phil moved on to the next son. He wore a yellow sweater paired with a maroon sash and a blue winter cloak. Various potions littered his clothes for easy access. "This is Wilbur."

"How's it going?" he greeted. Dream noted that this was the man that had the hot chocolate voice. 

Dream nodded in response, both to Wilbur's question and Phil's statement.

Phil then gestured to a very tall child donned in all white with the exception of a bright red cape draped over one shoulder. "This is Tommy, the problem child."

"Oi!" he retorted, "I'm not a problem child, I'm awesome." This was clearly the loud one from earlier.

"Sure," Phil smirked as he moved to an orange-haired man with fox ears. He wore a black hat and jacket with four different blues accenting. There was orange fur peeking out from under the jacket at the neck and wrists. "And this is my grandson, Fundy."

"Nice to meet you," he said in a voice that sounded like salted caramel and something else Dream couldn't quite place. It was clear from the lower pitch that this man was fully grown and definitely older than the child, Tommy. He couldn't have been much younger than Techno and Wilbur.

"How does _that_ work?" George cut in.

Phil laughed. "Care to explain, Wil?"

Wilbur sighed. "He's my son. I accidentally spilled an aging potion on him a few months ago."

"And I wouldn't let him turn me back," Fundy finished. "So I've been nineteen for three months."

"But the dickhead has only existed for like a year and a half," Tommy whined.

"Don't call your nephew a dickhead," Phil admonished.

Dream laughed at the exchange. It was a very different atmosphere from the rigid and formal structure of the castle. It reminded him of when he was a child. Before he lost his eyesight. When he, George, and Sapnap could run around without the responsibility of an entire nation on their shoulders. He smiled sadly at the thought.

"You already know who we are so it doesn't look like introductions are necessary."

"You could still introduce yourselves if you want," Phil said warmly.

Dream cleared his throat. "Right. I am Prince Dream of Surmup but you can just call me Dream."

George spoke up next. "I'm George, First Knight to the Prince of Surmup."

"And I'm Sapnap, Dark Knight to the Prince of Surmup," Sapnap concluded.

"Lovely to meet you all," Phil smiled. "Now I'm sure you're all very tired from your trip so I would like to invite you to join us at the inn we're staying in. You can rest for the night and we'll help at the border in the morning. How does that sound?"

Dream considered his options, and an inn was definitely nicer than setting up a camp in the middle of the cold forest. "That sounds great," he agreed. "Lead the way?"

"Sure."

Dream remounted his horse and followed the sound of five sets of feet in the direction of an inn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made a tumblr for this AU where I'll post lore that I can't figure out how to fit in. Come ask questions at https://www.iteotb-au.tumblr.com


End file.
